1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to color reproduction methods in computerized image forming apparatus, and in particular to heuristic analysis of a computerized image forming apparatus for automatic determination of color reproduction parameters.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that a variety of factors affect people""s perceptions of a color image and their preferred color reproduction of that image. For example, the lighting condition under which an image is viewed dramatically affects its color appearance. Therefore color appearance models typically include parameters such as background, surround, and ambient illumination level, in addition to a reference white point, in order to accurately account for the viewing conditions. Cultural factors also affect a viewer""s color perceptions and color reproduction preferences. For example, a color image which makes a favorable impression on a Japanese viewer may be considered too reddish and have a higher saturation level than that favored by a European viewer. Therefore the Japanese and European viewers are likely to prefer different color reproductions of the same image.
Prior art in this area has provided for adjustment of color reproduction parameters based on manual entry by the user of certain factors such as lighting conditions, the region where the color reproduction is being executed, the color of the viewer""s eyes, and the season or date when the image is observed, through a user interface. The color reproduction parameters of the apparatus are then automatically adjusted in response to these entries in order to reproduce a more appealing color to the viewer.
The problem is that an ordinary user of a consumer product is unlikely to manually enter such data or to understand how it affects the adjustment of color reproduction parameters. This may be due to a number of factors such as the user""s level of sophistication, cumbersomeness of the interface, or a desire for simplicity.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for automatic determination of color reproduction parameters of a computerized image forming apparatus that is based on heuristic analysis of the configuration of the image forming apparatus itself.
According to one aspect of color reproduction in accordance with the present invention, the configuration of a computerized image forming apparatus is analyzed through heuristic analysis in order to infer color environment of the apparatus such as color preference information about the user of the apparatus or information about the viewing condition for images produced by the apparatus. Color reproduction parameters on the computerized image forming apparatus are then automatically adjusted in accordance with the color environment.
Heuristic analysis, as used here, describes a probabilistic approach by which a color environment is inferred based on probabilities rather than certainties. Examples of heuristic analysis include expert systems, fuzzy logic, neural networks and artificial intelligence.
Configurations subjected to heuristic analysis include language of the installed software, time zone settings, installed device drivers for hardware, and other specific information available from the software configuration of the apparatus. This information will help determine the likely region (Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, etc.) where the reproduced image will be viewed. Determination of the likely viewing region will in turn provide an educated guess as to the color perception and color reproduction preferences of a viewer of a reproduced image.
Configurations subjected to heuristic analysis also include the class and type of the software installed on the apparatus. For example, presence of high-end graphic arts software on the computer is likely indicative of a graphics arts lighting environment. Determination of the lighting environment will, in turn, determine lighting condition (natural light, incandescent lamp, fluorescent lamp, etc.) under which the reproduced color will likely be viewed.
These and other configurations, including the price of the apparatus, the class of the device, and any other information that can be determined by inspection of the configuration of the apparatus, are then used to automatically determine color reproduction parameters for the apparatus.
Because the invention utilizes heuristics to determine the color environment and thereafter automatically sets color reproduction parameters on the computerized image forming apparatus in accordance with that determination, it provides the user with an improved color image reproduction without requiring the user to determine color reproduction parameters and to enter these parameters into the computer image forming apparatus.
An additional aspect of the invention is that the heuristically determined color reproduction parameters can be overridden by the user by manual entry of the information on the computerized image forming apparatus through a user interface. This will accommodate viewers that have different color preferences than those heuristically determined, and viewing environments that are different than those determined based on the heuristic analysis due to, for example, physical relocation of the apparatus.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in connection with the attached drawings.